Confessions of a 22nd Century Man
by Samantha J. Mulder
Summary: Phil Diffy's life is complicated enough as it is what with his psychotic sister, the caveman in his garage and trying to keep his family's secret, but add in falling in love with his best friend and, well, it's enough to drive a guy crazy.
1. Lovesick Blues

A/n: Rejoice, Teslow Diaries fans, I'm back with Phil's side! I know, I know, it took forever for me to post this but this story is proving to be a bit harder to write than the Teslow Diaries. Keely is a lot easier for me to write, seeing as I was actually a seventeen year old girl at one point in the not to distant past, so, while I wasn't exactly like Keely when I was seventeen, I know what it's like. Phil, on the other hand, well, it's a little harder for me to get into his head. But, after much staring at the computer in frustration, I finally found my rhythm. Fear not, I enjoy a good writing challenge. Anyway, I'm should probably stop rambling and let you enjoy the story.

**Confessions of a 22nd Century Man**

"**Lovesick Blues"**

March 16

I didn't mean to fall in love. Really, it was the last thing from my mind. My life is complicated enough as it without the added hassle of all those confusing emotions and whatnot. Between my psychotic sister, the caveman living my garage and this whole being from the future thing, I have enough to handle, but add a girl into the mix and, well, its enough to drive a guy crazy. Of course, to make the whole situation even more complicated, the girl I fell for just happens to be my best friend. You know, my best friend, the only person who knows my secret, the one person I seriously can't screw things up with. Complicated doesn't even begin to describe what I've gotten myself into.

Of course, as complicated as it may seem, being in love with Keely is far from a bad thing. Keely is the most amazing girl I've ever met. I know, I know, that sounds really cliche, but it's true. She's sweet and thoughtful, not to mention beautiful but besides all that, she never ceases to amaze me. Whenever I think I have her all figured out, she goes and does something that completely catches me off guard. But that's one of the things I love most about her. I mean, I've always been a pretty mellow, down to earth kind of guy but Keely...Keely is passionate and has this incredible love of life that sometimes just blows my mind. For some crazy reason, I think, it's those traits of hers that made me fall in love with her and that make me want to be with her.

Not that any of this new or anything. I've been in love with Keely for a long time. It all started on my first day at HG Wells, when I walked into that algebra class. I remember seeing Keely and thinking, there's something special about this girl. At lunch that day I remember looking over at her and seeing her looking back at me and again thinking that there was something about her, something that made me want to get to know her. Well, as the story goes, we ended spending time together and the rest is history. The more I got to know her, the fast, it seemed, that I fell for her, until I wound up where I am today: head over heels in love with her. The way I can't help but smile back when she smiles at me, the way I find myself getting jealous or doing stupid things, the way I feel when she hugs me, there's really no doubt about it. I'm so deeply in love with Keely Teslow I couldn't find a way out even if I wanted to.

The only problem is, I can never tell if she feels the way. There are moments where I find myself thinking that she totally wants to be more than friends but then there are times where my thoughts are more along the lines of "Are you crazy Diffy? You're her best friend!" I feel like I'm stuck in some sort of crazy limbo between best friend and boyfriend. The way I see it there are only two ways out of it: A) Get over her or B) Take a chance and as her out and seeing as I most definitely won't be getting over her any time soon, it looks as if I'm stuck with the latter option.

Yeah, that's one of those things that sounds easy enough on paper but put into practice? No way. You'd think asking my best friend out would be easier than, you know, just some random girl, but actually it's quite the opposite. I mean, this Keely we're talking about here. The best friend I've ever had Keely, the one person who knows me inside and out Keely, MY Keely. If I ask her out and she never talks to me again that's it, my life is over. Of course, if I ask her out and she says yes...well, who knows what that'll lead too. I figure since we work so well as best friends, we'll work just as well, if not better as a couple but who knows? Unfortunately for me, unlike algebra, this love thing does play by the rules of logic.

That being true, I may never figure any of this out.

A/n: To answers someone's question, this story is a parallel to The Teslow Diaries so it'll have the same general story line, with tweaks and added scenes. Anyway, stay tuned for the next chapter: "That Thing You Do."


	2. That Thing You Do

A/n: Hey everyone! Again, I apologize for the slow updates but I was busy. A good deal of my free time the past week or so was spent reading _Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince_. I'm sure a good number of you were similarly occupied so I shouldn't have any complaints. That being said, let's get on with it, shall we?

"That Thing You Do"

March 20

Keely drives me crazy sometimes. Really, she does. Not in a bad way, really more of in a way that sometimes gets me in some trouble. You know, like getting in fights with virtual robot waiters or pretending to be a gymnast. Stupid stuff like that that I normally wouldn't do There's the little things too, like losing my train of thought or tripping or something when she flashes that gorgeous smile at me. It's funny, all my life I've had this ability to think straight in any situation but then Keely came along and changed that. Sometimes when its just the two of us, she'll do something like touch my arm or put her head on my shoulder or smile at me in that way she never smiles at anyone else, and I'll completely lose all coherent thought. That never happened to me before Keely, but then, I've never felt this way about anyone before. I swear, that girl has got my world turned completely upside down and you know what? I love her for it.

I'm starting to realize, thought, that my feelings for Keely may be a little more obvious than I'd previously thought, especially after what happened at school today.

I was standing at my locker after school sort of watching Keely from down the hall. She was talking to a friend of her's-Tracy or Tricia I think her name is but that's not important-and I couldn't help but think that she looked really cute when she laughed. I was so caught up in my thoughts that I didn't hear Seth come up behind me until he said, "So, did you ask her out yet?"

I jumped about at mile, turned around, and said, "Who?"

He looked at me and said, "Keely," as if it was something I should've already known.

"No. Why would I?"

"Don't play dumb with me Phil, a smart guy like me, I can put two and two together. You, sir, have a thing for Miss Keely Teslow."

I felt myself blush as I looked at him, a little shocked. I had really I'd done a good job of hiding how I really felt about my best friend. "No, I don't. We're just friends."

"Phil, I may not be well-versed in the ways of love, but its pretty obvious that you've got it bad for her, bro."

"No, I-" I started to protest but he interrupted me.

"You want proof?"

"Yeah, I do." I was sure I could easily disprove whatever "proof" Seth came up with and keep my feelings about Keely hidden until I'd straightened them all out properly.

"Alright, smart guy, if it wasn't Keely you were staring at just now, then what else down the hall were you in such deep thought about?"

I looked down the hall then looked back at him, dumbstruck. He had me. I couldn't get out of it. "Alright, Seth," I said, defeated, "you got me."

Needless to say, he had smug grin on his face.

"But," I continued. "you were wrong about one thing."

"Oh?"

"I don't have 'a thing' for Keely."

He raised his eyebrows at me in surprise. "But you just--"

I grinned. "I don't have a thing for Keely," I repeated. "It's more of a head-over-heels in love kind of thing."

He rolled his eyes at me, gave me a playful punch in the arm and said, "Seriously, thought, Phil, when are you going to ask her out?"

I looked down the hall at Keely then back at Seth. "I don't know. I'm not even sure if she feels the same way."

"That's not even an issue, Phil. Of course she feels the same way! I've seen the way she looks at you. Trust me, buddy, she digs you."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I just wish a girl would look at me that way."

He had a sad sort of smile on his face but I was too preoccupied with the thought that Keely might return my feelings to really pay much attention.

The rest of the afternoon, I kept thinking about what Seth had said. Could Keely really feel the same way? The more I think about, the more I think I should just take a shot and ask her out. If Seth is right-which I really, REALLY hope he is-things could take a turn for the much, much better.

But the more I think about it, the more I also think I could seriously screw things up with Keely. I mean, I've never really had a serious relationship with a girl before, so I'm not too sure I'd know what to do should something happen between Keely and me. But on the other hand, Keely's managed to put up with me and all the stupid things I do so far so maybe she'll stick by me even if I'm not the perfect boyfriend. But the again, girls can be weird about all this dating stuff. Man, all this entirely too confusing. I sort of wish I had a gadget to make all this crazy stuff clear but, unfortunately, everyone's on their own when it comes to matters of the heart, no matter what century you live.

A/n: Stick around, kids, for the next chapter: "Walking on Sunshine" and don't forget to leave me a review, if you'd be so kind.


	3. Walking on Sunshine

A/n: Y'all demanded a quick update, so here we are. A new chapter, one day later. It did help, though, that this chapter was fairly easy to write for some reason. Enjoy!

"Walking on Sunshine"

March 21

She beat me to it. I can't believe it. She really beat me to it. I was all set to, you know, finally go for it and ask her out-after I'd finally worked up all the necessary courage, that is-but she beat me to it!

We were walking home from the tennis court this afternoon in a comfortable sort of silence. I was much to caught up in my thoughts about my plan to ask her out when we got to her house to make any sort of a attempt at normal conversation but then about halfway to her house, she did it.

"Phil," she said, "can I ask you something?"

"Anything," I said, jerked out of my thoughts.

"Phil...would you go out with me? You know, like on a real date?" I stared at her in disbelief, thinking that she couldn't have possibly said what I thought she said. While I was trying to get over my shock, she kept talking. I figure she must have been nervous because, I've learned, she has a tendency to ramble when she's nervous. " Because, you know, I'm a girl and you're a guy and we're already so close that maybe we should give this dating thing a shot. After all, you know what they say, all the best relationships are based on solid friendships. Of course, I don't want you to feel like you have to say yes just because we're best friends or anything like that. I'll totally understand if you don't want to go out with me. I mean, if I were you, I don't think I'd go out with me..."

I started laughing. I know, I know, I shouldn't have but I couldn't help it. Her going on and on was really funny.

She stopped talking and wouldn't look at me. I figured she probably thought I was laughing at her because she asked me out so I said quickly, "Keely, I would love to go out with you."

She looked at me with a look of shock on her face, "What?"

"I said, I'd love to go out with you."

"Really?"

I don't know what she didn't believe me. I don't think truer words had ever been spoken. I gave her a smile. "Yeah."

"You really mean it, Phil?"

I laughed, thinking, how many times do I have to say yes to this girl before she believes me? "Of course I do, Keely." Then, to make sure she got the point, I added, "How about Friday night?" Which, of course, was the night I had planned to ask her out for in the first place. Before, you know, she shanghaied my idea.

She finally smiled. "Sounds great, Phil."

After that, we were back to silence until I started laughing again,. I couldn't help it. Really, I couldn't. Just thinking about her speech was too much.

"What?" She said.

"You're a dork, you know that, Keel?"

She shot me an incredulous look. "Why?"

"You had me at 'Phil, will you go out with me?'"

"Then why'd you let me keep going like an idiot?"

"Because you're just too funny."

I know, I'm mean, but teasing Keely is one of my greatest joys in life especially because she's really cute when she's pretending to me mad at me.

She punched me in the arm. "You are so mean."

We looked at each other and started laughing. We didn't stop until we got to her house. "So," I said, smiling, "Friday night?"

"Friday night." She said, flashing me that killer smile of hers.

The full of effect of what had happened didn't really hit me until I got home. Even as I sit here now, hours later, I'm still trying to wrap my mind around it all. I have a date with Keely. I have a DATE with KEELY. A real date. Not a just friends sort of thing, a REAL DATE.

This is insane. I don't know if I can survive a date with Keely. I mean, I want this to work so badly, I'll probably be way too preoccupied with trying not to do or say anything stupid, not to mention I'll be a nervous wreck. Its only Wednesday and I'm already nervous. Which is crazy in and of itself because I've never been nervous around Keely. She's my best friend after all, she's the last person I should be nervous around.

I guess I'm still a little in shock. I'm going on a date with Keely, the girl I've been in love with for, oh, the last three years. Its just a little hard to believe that this is finally happening, but it is and I couldn't be happier...just as long as I don't screw it all up on Friday.

A/n: Its funny, I didn't even think about the fact that "Walking on Sunshine" is an Aly & AJ cover until someone in a review mentioned something about wanting to hear Keely sing it. Its just always been one of my favorite songs. Anyway, stay tuned for the next installment: "All Shook Up."


	4. All Shook Up

A/n: New chapter, finally! Rejoice as you see fit.

"All Shook Up"

March 23

My date with Keely tonight was...how should I put this? Well, it was sort of like a Daniel Pinkwater novel: it started out fairly standard, a good deal of crazy stuff happened and then it all worked out in the end. Well, sort of. I'm not sure Keely's quite over what happened yet, but overall, the night had a nice ending.

Like I said, the night started out normal enough. As I rang Keely's doorbell, I was nervous, but not really overly nervous. I managed to calm myself down by telling myself that, as important as this date was, it was still, after-all, just Keely and if there was one person I could always be myself around, it was her.

Keely opened the door and I said, with a smile, "Hey. Ready to go?"

"Yeah." She said, closing the door behind her.

Mom had gladly lent me her station wagon for the night. For some reason she said she was all to happy to do it after I told her who I had a date with. Dad wasn't too happy, he still thinks 21st century cars are deathtraps but Mom and I are more than used to driving by now. I'm sure he'll come around, give it another three years.

As I held the door open for Keely, I said, "You look great tonight, Keely."

She actually blushed as she said, "Thanks, Phil."

As I slid in the driver's seat, I thought, could she be any cuter? I told her where we going and we were off.

When we got to the restaurant, the normal part of the evening was over and the insanity was about to begin.

As the waitress was leading us to our table, I started to reach over to hold Keely's hand but just as I did, she tripped. Without looking where I was going, I jumped forward to catch her and in doing so, tripped a busboy, who was walking by, loaded down with dishes. It might have been a nice moment, the two of us standing so close, my arms still around her waist, if it hadn't been for the sound of dishes breaking in the background.

"Are you alright?" I asked her.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she replied. "Just a total klutz, that's all.

I smiled at her and started to reply, only to interrupted by the waitress.

We finally got seated at our table and I thought the craziness was over, but boy, was I wrong.

First, Keely smacked her head on the table when she bent down to pick up her napkin. About ten minutes later, when I came back from the restroom, I found a very angry looking man at the next table over shouting at Keely in Japanese. Keely wouldn't tell me exactly what happened, all I got out of her was something about a spoon. I had to work hard to keep myself from laughing.

Then I was about to reach over and give holding her hand another shot but I never got the chance. She reached for water, knocked over the candle in the middle of the table and managed to light my jacket sleeve on fire. She tried to put it out with her glass of water but while she gets an A for effort, she failed miserably, completely missing and hitting me in the face.

For the first time in my life Pim's psychotic antics actually helped me. Having grown up with a sister like her, this was not the first time I'd been on fire so instead of jumping up, screaming and acting like a complete idiot I just calmly put out my sleeve with my own glass of water.

I wiped off my face with my napkin and was about ready to make a joke about the whole thing until I looked up at Keely. She looked like she was about ready to cry so instead, I said, "How about we get out of here?"

She nodded and frankly, I was glad to be leaving.

Keely didn't say much on the way to her house and she didn't seem like she wanted to so instead of trying to start a stupid conversation, I just turned on the radio and drummed along on the steering wheel to a Green Day song.

When we got to her house, I walked her to the door and before I could say anything she said, "Phil, I'm really sorry about everything. I am such a total loser."

I couldn't stand to see her so sad, being so down on herself. It was time to switch to best friend mode and fix it. "You're not a loser, Keel. You just had a bad night, that's all. Besides, it was me that tripped the busboy."

"Yeah, but you wouldn't have tripped him if I hadn't tripped first. I am such a spaz when I'm nervous."

I couldn't believe it. She had been nervous! I started to feel a little better about the night, but I still couldn't believe she had been nervous being with me. I've always been the one to calm her down when she's nervous.

"You were nervous? Why? It's just me, Keely."

What she said next made me feel really, really good. She looked at me and said, "That's just it, Phil. It's you. You mean everything to me. I just really wanted this to work."

I couldn't help smiling. "I really wanted it to work, too." I thought for a second, trying to figure out some way to make it work. "How about we forget tonight ever happened and try again tomorrow night? We can go out for pizza and see a movie. Totally no pressure."

She raised her eyebrows at me. "You still want to go with me? Even after I, you know, lit you on fire and all?"

What a stupid question. I wanted to say, of course I want to go out with you, I'm head over heels in love with you! But I didn't. Instead, I took a step closer to her and said, "Of course, because I know that somewhere under all that nervousness is my Keely. The one who's always sure of herself and doesn't care what anyone else thinks." I wanted so badly to kiss her right then and there but I didn't. I lost my nerve. I just smiled and said, "Goodnight, Keely. See you tomorrow."

"Yeah...'Night, Phil."

About half-way home, I realized what I'd said. My Keely. I'd called her MY Keely. We aren't even dating and I'd called her "my Keely." But then, I've always thought of her as "my Keely," even before I realized how I really feel about her. It's what causes my random acts of jealousy, I guess.

I really wished I'd kissed her, though. Oh well, maybe tomorrow night...

A/n: Hey, y'all know where the review button is! Just so you know, the more you review, the faster I update. Stay tuned for the next the next chapter: "Good Thing."


	5. Good Thing

A/n: Hey, everyone! Thanks for all the fantastic reviews, I really appreciate them! New chapter, enjoy!

"Good Thing"

March 24

When I came downstairs for breakfast this morning, Mom was looking a bit more cheerful than usual. As I sat down a started to pour myself some cereal, she smiled at me and said, "So, how was your date with Keely last night?"

I swallowed a mouthful of orange juice and said, "I don't use the word 'fiasco' very often but I think that's the only way to describe last night."

Mom's smile faded. "So there was no chemistry, no spark?"

"Oh there was plenty of chemistry," I smiled to myself, thinking of the scene on the porch, "but think both of us were having an off night."

"What happened?"

I recounted the night to Mom and when I finished with, "...so we're going out again tonight," her smile had reappeared.

"I think that girl must really be crazy about you, Phil."

Before I could reply, Pim walked into the kitchen and said, "I think I need to get my hearing checked. I could've swore I just heard you say a girl is crazy about Phil."

"You're hearing's fine, Pim. Phil and I were just talking about his date with Keely."

"Keely? You've got nothing to worry about, bro. Blondie acts like you're Humphrey Bogart to her Ingrid Bergman."

I stared at her, shocked at both her sudden insight into Keely's feelings towards me and her choice of movie reference.

"What? I can't help it, I'm a sucker for Bogart, he's just so...tough."

"Anyway," Mom said, "I don't think Keely would have been so nervous if she didn't really like you, Phil. Speaking for experience, girls usually only get bus-boy-tripping nervous around the really special boys, isn't that right, Pim?"

Pim looked up from her Captain Crunch. "Please, Mom. I'm much to busy trying to rid the world of Fashion Zombies to bother with boys and their infinite lameness."

I spent the rest of the day thinking about what Mom had said and by the time I rung Keely's doorbell, I was feeling quite a bit more confident that last night. There was, after-all, a very good chance, I figured, that Keely felt the same way I did.

When she answered the door, I said, "Ready for round two?"

She grinned at me and replied, "If it's anything like round one, the movie theater better have a good sprinkler system."

I just laughed as I held the car door open for her.

The rest of the night was just as relaxed as I'd hoped it'd be. We had fun talking and joking around over our pizza and when we were in line for movie tickets, I FINALLY got to hold her hand. No bus boys, no candles, just her hand in mine. It felt fantastic.

About fifteen minutes into the movie, I finally got up the courage to put my arm around Keely's shoulders. When I did, she moved closer to me and put her head on my shoulder. I couldn't stop smiling. As far as I was concerned, the rest of the evening could be a complete disaster because that moment, the way it felt to have her that close, was worth it.

Little did I know what was going to happen at the end of the night.

I walked her up to her front door and said, "I had a really great time tonight, Keely."

She smiled and said, "Me too, Phil. I'm so glad you decided to go out with me again. I was so sure I'd screwed everything up after last night, I was shocked that you wanted to try again. I mean, I just could believe that you'd--"

I really wanted to kiss her, only its really hard to kiss someone who quite possibly practicing for a Congressional filibuster. "Keely..."

"--still go out with me after I lit you on fire and all. I know if I were, I might not go out with me again, what with me being the complete spaz that I am most of the time. But then I--"

I could take it any more. I had to kiss her before I lost my nerve again. "Keely!"

"What?"

"Would you shut up so I can kiss you?"

"Oh, right."

Before she could say anything else, I pulled her close and kissed her. She wrapped her arms around me and kissed back and the only thought in my head was that kissing Keely was the single most wonderful experience in my life.

When we finally pulled apart, she smiled at me and said, in perfect Keely fashion, "Ta-dow!"

I just grinned at her and said, "My thoughts exactly." I didn't want to leave and end the perfect night, but a glance at my watch told me it was getting late.

"Well, I'd better get going," I said, "Good night, Keely."

"Good night, Phil. See you tomorrow."

I've been home for about an hour or so now and the smile hasn't left my face for a second. A perfect ending to a perfect night with the perfect girl. Am I the luckiest guy in the world or what?

A/n: Hey, a review would be nice. Stay tune for the next chapter...no title yet, but with any luck it'll be up soon.


	6. Love You Out Loud

A/n: Sorry for the slow update, kids! What with work and starting school this week, (as well as watching my downloaded copy of "Get Ready to Go-Go" as many times as humanly possible) it's been hard for me to get anything, including the stuff I should be working on written. Apologies all around. On a happier note, I think y'all will really enjoy this chapter.

"Love You Out Loud"

April 10th

I know, I know, I'm not exactly faithful when it comes to keeping a journal because, let's face it, I'm a busy guy, but what happened in the last day and half definitely needs to be written down because I never, ever want to forget it. My life and my relationship with Keely changed last night--changed for the much, much better. Well, better in the end I should say, sometimes the road to much better is pretty bumpy.

The last few weeks with Keely have been absolutely amazing. It feels really great to finally be past that awkward "we're-just-friends" stage we were stuck in for so long. I love being able to hold her hand or put my arm around her, I love finally getting to officially call her my girlfriend, and, aside from all the drama I caused, I love telling her how I really feel about her.

Last night started out normal enough. I took Keely out to dinner and a movie, a typical Saturday night for us. We talked over dinner and joked around over dinner, laughing about a recent run-in the neighbor's Lab puppy had with Curtis last week. The movie was one of those dime-a-dozen, predictable romantic comedies but I mind much seeing as I was otherwise occupied during most of it. It wasn't until the end of the night that things got really interesting.

We were standing on Keely's front porch, in the middle of a long good-night--one that involved a good deal of kissing (which maybe is why Keely's porch is quickly becoming one of my favorite places to be)-when she looks at me and says, "Phil, I need to tell you something."

I smiled at her and said, "Sure Keel. What's on your mind?" thinking she was going to tell me something along the lines of her cat was going to have kittens or her mom was going on a business trip. I was definitely NOT expecting her to say what she said next.

"Phil...I...I love you."

Things started to go downhill from there. I watched as her smile disappeared when she saw the look on my face. My mind was screaming at me to tell her I loved her back, but instead I froze. I'd dreamed about this moment practically forever but now that it was here, all I could do was stand there like an idiot. I could hear the words in my head, the words I so badly wanted to say but just couldn't get out. I finally heard myself say, "Keely...I...I...I gotta go." I took off, leaving the most important person in my life standing on her porch looking confused.

When I got home, I shut myself in my room without saying a word to my family. I felt like such a major jerk for what I had just pulled on Keely. I knew she must have felt horrible. I mean, she tells her boyfriend she loves him and he takes off. That could not have felt good. I kept replaying the scene over and over again in my head, not wanting to believe I'd just done what I'd just done, but the scene never changed. Keely finally tells me she loves me and what do I do? I run away. Of all the stupid things I've done in my life, this was probably the stupidest.

I went to bed, holding on a small hope that things might look better in the morning, but I couldn't sleep. I just lay there staring at the ceiling, trying to figure out what went wrong.

At first, I couldn't figure it out. After all, I thought, I love Keely. I love her more than I've ever loved anyone before. Then it hit me. I'd never felt this way about any before and I'd never had a girl tell me they loved me. I'd been in love once or twice before, but, I realized, it was just puppy-love, nothing near what I felt for Keely. All this was so new to me, I hadn't known how to react.

I jumped out of bed, wanting to fix things ASAP. I threw on some clothes and took off for Keely's. I was almost to her door when I realized it was still dark out and finally took a look at my watch. It was just after 5:00 AM, but I wasn't about to wait any longer.

I rang her doorbell repeatedly for a few minutes until I finally heard her yell from the other side, "Alright already!"

She opened the door, her look of anger turning to shock when she realized it was me. "Phil?" She pulled me inside and shut the door. "What happened to you?"

I wasted no time in getting to the point. "Keely, I love you. With all my heart."

She looked at me for a second, then said, "Really, Phil?"

I figured since I'd finally told her how I felt, now it was time to show her. I grabbed her and pulled her into a long, passionate kiss. When we finally ended the most fantastic kiss I've ever experienced, I smiled at her and said, "I love you, Keely. I mean it."

She returned the smile. "I love you too, Phil."

Now that the easy part was done, I had knew I had to explain myself. "I'm sorry about last night. I just didn't know how to react. After all, I've never had a girl tell me she loves me before."

"Wow, really Phil?'

"Yeah, but that's okay because I've never felt like this about anyone before. I mean, I've been in love before once or twice, I think, but never like this. I am so deeply in love with you, Keely."

Keely looked at me for a second, her cheeks turning a faint shade of pink, and then yawned. As she did, I realized for the first time that she was in her pajamas-which was incredibly cute-and I remember what time it was.

"Well, I'll let you get back to bed. I'll call you later."

I was about to open the door to leave when Keely said, "No wait, Phil. Stay."

I turned around. Something in her voice told me that she really wanted me there. "Sure, Keel."

A few minutes later we were curled up together on the couch under a blanket. She fell asleep right away, using me as a pillow, but I stayed awake for awhile, enjoying the moment. It was really an amazing feeling, her snuggled against me, holding her in my arms as she slept so peacefully. It was one of perfect moments that only come along a few times in life, but a moment I don't plan on ever forgetting,

A/n: Stay tuned for the next chapter: "Poprocks and Coke." Also, be sure to check out my new one-shot in a couple of days. I know, I should finish this one first, but I've been itching to write Via for awhile so when I got an idea I went with it. Fear not, this story will get done too. Don't forget to leave a review!

I don't think I've done this yet so here we go:

Disclaimer: Disney owns all things Phil of the Future


	7. Poprocks and Coke

A/n: I know, super slow update, but I've had quite a few exciting things happen in the last month including:

1) Seeing Aly & AJ play at Disneyland, getting to meet them and get their autographs (if you see the Disney 411 thing on the concert, you can actually see me in the crowd at one point)

2) Annual road trip to San Francisco with my best pal to visit friends (during which I actually wrote a good deal of this chapter)

3) Being sick but still having to suffer through work with every other Disneyland guest being irritated at the lack of fireworks.

And, to make up for not updating in a good while, this is actually a pretty long chapter, so with out further ado, on with the show...

"Poprocks and Coke"

April 17th

I am so stupid. Really, really, really stupid. Sometimes I'm amazed by my own stupidity. I know I've done stupid things before and will probably do stupid things again but nothing I've ever done or ever will do, will ever even come close to what I did today. Today I almost ruined the most amazing thing that ever happened to me because today, I almost broke up with Keely Teslow.

It all started last night, just before dinner, with a normal, everyday conversation. Dad was sitting at one end of the kitchen table, working on something time engine related, Pim was at the other end, typing away on her laptop and laughing maniacally to herself every so often. Mom was in the kitchen cooking and I was sitting at the counter, watching her. As bad as Mom's cooking had been when we first got stuck in this century, the longer we're here, the better her cooking gets and while she'll never been the best cook in the world, I've always appreciate her efforts because I know she only does it for us. That's just the kind of person Mom is.

Anyway, as I was sitting there keeping her company as she finished up dinner, she said, "So, Phil, how are things with you and Keely?"

I smiled. I never passed up an opportunity to talk about Keely. "Terrific, Mom. I've never been happier. I thought it was great when we were just friends but dating is a thousand times better. I am so in love with her, Mom. I really think she's the one, if you know what I mean."

She smiled and said, "That great, sweetie. Keely's a wonderful girl."

That's what I love about Mom; a lot parents would probably tell me I'm too young to be talking about finding "The One" but not Mom. I think she realizes how special what Keely and I have is.

I grinned at her. "You don't have to tell me, Mom, I know how wonderful Keely is. After all, I'm the one that gets to kiss her."

Mom laughed until Dad spoke up. "Phil, don't you think you're getting a little too serious with Keely?"

I was a little caught off guard by that comment. I had figured Dad had been around enough to realize how Keely and I felt about each other. "Dad, I'm in love with her, how can I be anything but serious?"

"Phil, as much as you think you love Keely, its never going to work, you don't belong here. I told you when we first got here not to get too attached to anyone in this century."

"Dad, we've all gotten attached to people in this century! You have friends, Mom has friends, even Pim has friends!

"Yeah, but none of us decided to get involved in a 'serious' romantic relationship."

I opened my mouth to reply but Mom intervened by calling us to dinner.

Later that night, I couldn't stop thinking about what Dad said. I kept telling myself that he was wrong, that Keely and I were supposed to be together but a nagging voice in the back of my head keep telling me that he might be right.

The more I thought about, the more I started to think about what would happen if we ever did end up leaving. I kept picturing telling Keely I had to leave and seeing her heartbroken face and knew I wouldn't ever be able to bring myself to hurt her like that. I figured-rather stupidly-that if I broke up with her now, I wouldn't have to deal with all that if it ever came up.

I knew I couldn't break up with Keely in person, considering my lack of will power when in comes to her and those gorgeous eyes of hers, and I knew I'd probably lose my nerve if I tried to do it over the phone so I figured a letter was the best way to do it.

So I sat down to write the hardest letter I've ever had to write in my life. It took me a good two hours to write it (and it wasn't even a page long) because I just couldn't find the right words to break up with the most amazing, wonderful person in my life.

Today, I gave Keely my letter. I tried to avoid her all day, rather unsuccessfully, but by the time we were on our way home from school, she knew something was up. Sometimes she can read me so well it's scary. Anyway, I just gave her the letter and took off.

After that, I figured it was all over. She wouldn't ever talk to me again. Or at least not for a really, really long time. As much as that hurt, I just had to keep telling myself that it was better than getting way too involved with her and having to one day break her heart by leaving.

The funny thing about most of my plans, however, is that they rarely work. Keely was certainly not never talking to me again. In fact, she was over here making that perfectly clear only a few hours after I gave her the letter.

I was lying on my bed, a book open on my chest since my concentration was way to shot to read, when Keely burst in without knocking or anything.

"PHILIP DIFFY!" She shouted causing me to jump.

I sat up and said, rather stupidly, "Oh, hi, Keely." I really couldn't think of anything else to say, I was so in shock. I'd never heard Keely yell like that at anyone, especially me, in all the time I'd known her.

But she didn't stop there. She brandished the letter at me like a ninja with nun-chucks. "Phil, how could you do this to me? You can't just break up with someone out of the blue like this and IN A LETTER none the less! ESPECIALLY WHEN THE PERSON DOESN'T DESERVE IT! I thought things were going great for us then you go and pull this on me! I can't believe you!"

All I could was sit there and stare at her. It was all so out of character for normally level headed and even tempered Keely. It was a little disconcerting, really, to see the one person who always keeps me grounded when I overreact going all Howard Dean on me.

"Keely, I-" I started but she cut me off.

"And that's not even what I'm most upset about! What really hurts is that

something's going on with you that you're not telling me! And don't try telling me you're fine because I know you too well to know you're not. I can see it your eyes." She stopped yelling, sat down next to me, took a deep breath and continued in a much more reasonable voice. "If you can't tell me what's wrong as your girlfriend, you should at least be able to tell me as your best friend. Whatever you're going through, Phil, I'm here for you, you know that."

I looked into her eyes for a brief moment and read only the familiar sincerity and concern. I knew I couldn't be anything but straightforward with her, she only wanted to help me. That's Keely for you, always thinking of other people.

"I know, Keely. I'm so sorry. I never meant to hurt you, I just...I just didn't know what to do."

"What happened, Phil?"

It was my turn to take a deep breath. I knew I had to tell her everything because she was right, she wasn't just my girlfriend, she was my best friend too. My best friend who I don't keep any secrets from.

"Last night I was telling my mom how great things were going for you and me and how happy I am and everything My dad overheard and started talking about how I shouldn't get too attached to anything in this century, people included. He said that as much as I think I love you-his words, not mine-it would never work between us because I don't belong here and so on. I started thinking, what if he's right? What if we end up leaving? I figured if I broke up with you now, I wouldn't have to think about it any more. I guess I just let Dad get to me, and I panicked."

She looked at me for a long moment without saying anything. Then, catching me off guard in that way only Keely can, said, "Phil, do you love me?"

Now there's a no-brainer if I ever heard one. "You know I do, Keel."

"And I love you. That's all that should matter. Whatever happens, we'll work through it because we love each other. I'm totally committed to this relationship, no matter what. If you end up having to leave, well, we'll just cross that bridge when we come to it. If you ask me, that's a pretty big 'if' to break up over. I mean, you've been here for three years now and it looks as if you guys might not ever go back."

What she said made sense but there was still that slight chance that I might have to leave that was bugging me. "I guess."

One of the many things I love about Keely is that she never gives up. She slipped her hand into mine and kept going. "Phil, you've always told me that everything happens for a reason. Maybe the reason you got stuck here was so that we could meet and fall in love. I hate to sound cliche and all, but maybe we were meant to be together."

I looked at her as I let her words sink in. She was right, of course. Once again, I'd let my tendency to over-think things get in my way. It had never mattered before in our friendship that I was from the future and it certainly shouldn't matter now that we were dating. I love Keely and want to be with her, and like she said, that's all that matters.

"You right, Keely. All that's important is that I love you and despite what my dad thinks, we belong together. Listen, Keely, I'm really sorry about all of this. I just freaked out, you know? We're all entitled to a freak out every now and then, right? I swear it won't happen again. I love you and I want to be with you and I..."

She cut me off again. "Phil ?"

"Yeah?"

"Would you shut up so I can kiss you?"

I laughed. "Of course."

She leaned over and we shared a long kiss...only to be interrupted by Pim. "I heard yelling so I thought, I'd...SWEET CLAM CHOWDER! I DID NOT NEED TO SEE THAT!"

Keely and I must have jumped four feet apart, both of us blushing like mad. Pim didn't look too happy. "There's an image I'll be stuck with for awhile. I hope you two are happy." She turned on her heels and left.

Keely and I both started laughing, which felt really good, considering what I'd just put us through. "I think we scarred her for life, Phil," she said.

"Good. Traumatizing my sister is one of my favorite hobbies."

Keely laughed again, checking her watch. "Well, its getting late. I'd better get home."

"Okay." I leaned over and gave her a quick kiss. "I'll see you in the morning. I love you."

"I love you too," she said and, after flashing me one last smile, left.

Watching her go, I felt really good, and I still do. Keely really laid all her cards on the table tonight. She said she was committed to our relationship and wanted to be with me no matter what. Its' a really great feeling, knowing that she's always going to be there. As crazy and unpredictable as my life and the future may seem, it doesn't seem nearly as bad with Keely there by my side.

A/n: Leave a review, would you? I'll be your friend if you do. Oh, and stay tuned for the next chapter: "She's Everything."


	8. She's Everything

A/n: Apologies all around for the slowness of the update. This chapter was a real challenge. I knew what I wanted to say but I wanted to say it just the right way, if that makes any sense. I think it turned out magnificently. I think you'll understand after you read it.

"She's Everything"

April 20th

Ever since my near-break-up with Keely a couple of days ago, I've been a little...well...distracted. It has nothing to do with Keely and me, really, our relationship is stronger than ever. What's been on my mind is more about my whole situation. It was all really starting to get to me until last night when I had a long, unexpected conversation with Mom.

I couldn't sleep at all last night. I tried, but my mind just wouldn't shut itself off. Finally, a little after 1, I got up and went downstairs. I made myself a cup of hot chocolate and sat down at the kitchen table where I found the "21st Century" scrapbook Mom started about a year ago and has been adding to ever since.

I opened and started to flipping through it, stopping when I got the "Phil & Keely" section. I couldn't help but smile at how awkward we looked in some of pictures that were taken before we started dating.

I hadn't been looking at the book longer than about fifteen minutes when Mom came into the kitchen. "What are you doing up, Phil?" She asked me as as started to fix herself a cup of tea.

"I couldn't sleep," I replied as she sat down at the table with me. "What about you?"

"Oh, your father was snoring again."

We both fell into a silence, me drinking my hot chocolate and Mom, her tea. She studied me for a minute and finally said, "Phil, is there anything on your mind you might want to talk about?"

I looked at her for a second and briefly considered telling her I was fine, but then realized she probably already knew I wasn't and decided to tell her what was going on.

"I don't think I could do it, Mom."

"Do what, sweetie?"

"Go back to the future."

She glanced over at the pages the scrapbook was open to in front of me and a look of understanding crossed her face.

"This is about Keely, isn't it?"

I nodded. "I don't think I could ever just up and leave her, especially not now. I love her so much, Mom, I can't imagine my life without her, and don't want to. I still may not know what I want to do with the rest of my life, but I do know I want to spend it with Keely."

"You know what I think, Phil?"

"What?"

I was expecting something about how I should remember we wouldn't always be here, etc, so what Mom said next took me completely by surprise. "I think you're right. I think you should spend the rest of your life with her."

"You do?"

Mom nodded. "Phil, when I look at you and Keely, I see two people who have had to go through so much in order to maintain a friendship, much less a serious romantic relationship. Because of our...unique...situation, you two have had to deal with more than your share of difficulties in order to be together and it's not fair, I know, but you both have dealt with it admirably. Watching you two together these three years, I don't think you'd have gone through everything you have, and been willing to go through even more, if you didn't really love each other."

I stared at her, speechless. I know I should be used to the incredible insight Mom has by now, but it never fails to catch me off guard.

When I didn't say anything Mom said, "Phil, what I'm trying to say is, you and Keely have something very special and I don't think you're ever going to find anyone else like her, in any century."

I smiled. "That much I know." I looked down at the photographs in front of me and my smile disagreed. "I don't think I could ever say good-bye, Mom. Not now, not after...everything." I looked back up at Mom. "I love her so much, I just don't think I could do it. And not just because I don't think I could ever stand not being with her. I could never bring myself to break her heart like that."

Mom smiled and put a hand on my arm. "Just between us, Phil, I honestly don't think we're ever going to leave. In the very slight off-chance that we do leave, you'll have a difficult decision to make, I know that you knew that going into this relationship. Just remember, Phil, you'll always have your family, but true love only comes along once in a life time."

"Do you really think Keely and I will be together for the rest of our lives?"

"You know, they say there's no such thing as a sure thing in life, but I'm pretty sure they'll have to make an exception in your case."

My smiled returned as I shut the scrapbook. "Well, I think I'm going to head to bed. Good night, Mom."

"'Night, Phil."

I got up and started towards the stairs but stopped when Mom said, "Phil?"

I turned back around "Yeah, Mom?"

"Just make sure you take good care of her, okay?" She said with a smile and a wink.

I returned the smile. "I'm planning on it."

This morning when I found Keely waiting for me at her locker, I pulled her into a long hug without so much as a "good morning."

When I finally let her go, she raised her eyebrows at me quizzically and asked, "Is everything alright, Phil?"

"Keely, will you do me a favor?" I said in response.

"Of course. Name it."

"Never stop loving me."

She smiled that smile I know she saves just for me. "Only if you do the same for me."

I smiled back and pulled her into my arms again. "Just try and stop me."

She leaned in and kissed me and I felt that, despite the faint uncertainty in my life, everything was going to turn for the best. Mom was right; true love only comes along once in a lifetime and now that I've found it, I'm never letting it go.

A/n: One funny note about this chapter: At one point while I was working on this, I was also reading some article about Harry Potter online and I accidently typed "Hermione" instead of "Keely." It made me laugh because it made me think what a ridiculous cross-over that would be. Hermione Granger, Via's childhood friend from back home in England, maybe? Anyway, like always leave me a review and stay tuned for the next chapter: "Lost in You."


	9. Lost In You

A/n: I can hear y'all now: "What? An update? I must be dreaming!" Nope, it's real. Believe it or not, I am still alive...sort of...we'll see when this semester is finally over. Sorry for the slowness. All my writing efforts the previous few weeks have had to go to various final projects for school. But enough about that, y'all have waited too long already.

"Lost in You"

May 3

Sometimes I wish I could just stop time, even if only for a few minutes, just to take time to relax with no pressure. Especially the last couple of weeks, which have been particularly hectic. I've had almost no time to spend with Keely. I mean, I see her at school and we hang out and do our homework together and whatever but we haven't had any time to just be together, just the two of us, without having to worry anything. Finally, after a couple of entirely too busy weeks, Keely and I finally got some quality alone time last night on her birthday-thanks to Tia of all people.

Monday and Tuesday Keely was out sick and when I took her her homework on Monday afternoon she wouldn't let me kiss her because she didn't want me to get sick too. Do I have the sweetest girlfriend ever or what?

Anyway, Tuesday at lunch Tia found me at my locker. "Phil, I want to throw I surprise party for Keely on her birthday on Saturday."

"Great," I said, "She'll love that."

"I know, but I need your help."

"Sure what do you want me to do?"

"I need you to keep her busy for a few hours while I set up decorations and get everyone organized."

"Uh, sure, Tia, but what exactly do you want me to do to keep her busy?"

"Phil, she's your girlfriend and it's her birthday. I'm sure you'll think of something." She shot me sly grin as she started off down the hall.

As it turns out, Tia was right. I did think of something. By the time I saw Keely on Wednesday, I had it all planned out.

I found her at her locker between classes and wrapped my arms around her saying, "Hey gorgeous."

She turned around. "Hey yourself."

"Feeling better?" I asked.

"Much." She gave me a smile and let go of her so she could finish collecting her books.

"So, what do you want for your birthday?"

She shut her locker and looked at me. "You."

That was not what I was expecting. "Me?"

"Phil, we've barley said two words to each other all week. I miss you."

I smiled. She missed me just as much as I had been missing her recently. It seemed like a good time to tell her my plan. I pulled her into my arms again and lowered my voice. "Well, how about this: on your birthday Saturday night, we'll have a candlelit dinner at that Italian place you love and then go for a long walk on the beach, just the two of us. How does that sound?"

"Phil, that sounds so romantic," she whispered. Just the reaction I was hoping for. She leaned in and we shared a long kiss until Hackett came down the hall and shouted, "Diffy! Teslow! That was the bell! Quit swapping spit and get to class!"

I rolled my eyes at Keely and she smiled back and said, "I'll see you at lunch." She kissed me on the cheek. "I love you."

"'Love you too," I replied and headed off towards my math class.

Even though I had figured out what to do on Keely's birthday, I still had one problem left to solve: what to get her.

I was busy contemplating this problem on Wednesday afternoon by laying on the couch staring up at the ceiling. I'd been laying there a good half an hour when Mom came into the living. "I don't think living room ceilings are interactive in this century, sweetie," she said after surveying my current state.

"Very funny, Mom. I have a bit of a problem."

"This wouldn't happen to be a Keely-related problem, would it?"

"Yeah, how'd you know?"

"Let's just call it mother's intuition. So, how mad at you is she this time?"

"She's not mad at me."

"OK, how mad is she going to be?"

I laughed and threw a pillow at her. "Mom! It's not that kind of problem. I just can't figure out what to get her for her birthday."

"You've never had a trouble with that before."

"I know but this year's a little different. I mean, she's my girlfriend now."

A look of realization crossed Mom's face. "Ah, you want to make sure you get her something special."

"Yeah."

"You're making this harder than it has to be, Phil. Keely loves you, she'll be happy no matter what you get her."

"Really?"

She nodded. "Yup. Just get her something that shows how you feel."

"I think I can handle that."

"Just don't do what your father did to me last year and get her the 'Best of Geraldo Rivera' DVD box set. That's a horrible birthday present no matter what century you're from."

"Please, Mom, I love Keely. I wouldn't wish that much Geraldo on my worst enemy. Well, Pim maybe..."

She laughed and ruffled my hair. "You'll think of something, I promise."

By Saturday, I had thought of something, something good.

I rang Keely's doorbell that night with a dozen red roses in my hand, looking my best. When Keely answered the door, my jaw dropped. She looked flat out incredible. "Wow, Keel," I said when I found my voice, "you look absolutely amazing."

She smiled. "You don't look so bad yourself."

I remembered the roses in my hand. "Oh, these are for you."

"Wow, Phil. They're beautiful."

Her mom came into the entry way where we standing. "Hi, Phil. Don't you look handsome?"

I felt myself blush as I said, "Thanks."

Dinner was just as fantastic as I had hoped it would be. Just the two of enjoying some quality Phil and Keely time. After dinner, we went for a long walk on the beach. It was nice to finally get to be together without worrying about Hackett or Pim or being distracted by school or whatever.

We walked along, holding hands, talking and joking around until I remember the slim box in my pocket. I stopped walking and said, "I almost forgot. I need to give you your birthday present."

"Phil, you didn't have to get me anything," she said. "You already gave me flowers and took me out for a fantastic dinner.:

That's Keely for you. Never thinking of herself. I smiled. "I know, but this is something I really wanted to do."

I pulled the box out of my pocket and handed it to her. She opened it and pulled out a necklace with a silver heart engraved with _Phil and Keely, Past Present and Future,_ dangling from it.

When she didn't say anything, I asked, "Do you like it?"

"I love it, Phil. Here." She handed me the necklace and turned around so I could put it on for her.

"How could you afford something like this, Phil?" She asked as I closed the clasp.

I knew she would ask that and I wasn't about to tell her I'd earned the money by convincing Curtis to let me help him out at the hardware store for a couple of weekends so I just said, "Let's just say when you have a sister like Pim, blackmail is very profitable hobby."

She laughed as she turned back around to face me. I smiled and pulled her close. "Happy birthday, Keel."

She leaned in and kissed me. We spent a long time standing there on the beach just kissing, something we hadn't had a lot of time for lately. I was so wrapped up in it all, I almost forgot I was supposed to be on a schedule. I caught a glance at my watch just in time.

"Well, we'd better get going. It's getting late." It was only 9:30, which wasn't really late at all but I prayed Keely would go along with me without any questions. Lucky for me she did and Tia's plan was safe.

When we got back to her house, I walked her up to the door and said, "Hey, Keel, I think I left my history notebook on coffee table yesterday. Mind if I come in and grab it?"

I followed her inside and to the dark living room. I wore a huge grin on my face, knowing what was waiting for her. She switched on the lights and at least thirty people, everyone from neighbors and friends from school to my family and Keely's Aunt Karly, jumped out and yelled, "SURPRISE!"

Keely had a look of absolute shock on her face. Her Mom stepped over to her. "Happy birthday, sweetie!"

She gave her mom a big hug. "You did all this, Mom?"

"Nope. It was all Tia and Phil."

"Really?" Keely asked, looking from me to Tia.

"Actually it was all me," Tia spoke up. "All Phil had to was keep you busy for a few hours."

"Hey, that's harder than it sounds!" I protested.

Keely took a step closer to me. "I don't know why. You're pretty good at it."

She grabbed my jacket and kissed me until my darling little sister yelled, "GET A ROOM ALREADY!"

We pulled apart laughing and Tia said, "Alright, let's get this party started!" She shot another one of her sly grins in our direction. "That is, if you can manage to keep your hands off each other."

The party was a smashing success. My dad embarrassed himself by trying to be cool and dance and Keely's cousin Ryan kept hitting on Pim who wanted absolutely nothing to do with him, but aside from that, things went smoothly.

At the end of the night, Keely and I were left alone in living, except for Tia who was sprawled out the couch, asleep and Pim, who was fast asleep in an armchair.

"So," I said, as I helped her move the furniture back into their proper places. "did you have a good birthday?"

"Yeah, I think this was the best birthday I've ever had."

"Really? I thought our trip to Magic Mountain last year was pretty memorable, especially after Seth ate those nine hot dogs then got sick on Ninja." I joked.

She just laughed as she headed towards the stereo to turn it off. One of my favorite songs, that old Elvis one, "Can't Help Falling in Love" came on and I said, "Hang on." I offered her my hand. "May I have this dance."

"Of course," she said, taking my hand.

"You know what," I said, as I lead her around the living room, "I think should be our song."

"I think you're right."

Halfway through the song she let go of my hand in order to wrap her arms around me shoulders. She laid her head on my my shoulder and I wrapped my arms around her waist. As I held her in my arms, I couldn't help but smile. My life may be filled with complications due to my strange circumstances but really, in the end, none of it matters. I am madly in love with this amazing girl who for some reason, loves me back. As long as my life continues to be filled with, aside for complications, perfect moments with Keely, I think everything will turn out just fine in the end.

A/n: So, if you've been keeping track, you'll know the next chapter will be the last. I know, sadness all around, but fear not my friends, because I have another story on the way. So leave me a review and stay tuned for the next and final chapter: "Love is Never Ending"


	10. Still The One

A/n: Again, sorry about the slowness. What with the holidays, being sick and hanging out with my friends before we all go back to our separate schools, I didn't have much time for this. But here it is, in all it's glory, the final installment.

"Still the One"

5 Years Later...

I know I haven't kept a journal or anything since I was in high school, but what happened today was so wonderful that I absolutely had to write it all down. Today I asked Keely Teslow, my dream girl and the love of my life, to marry me and...she said yes! It happened hours ago and I still can't believe it. I can't believe that after everything we've been through, that I'm actually going to spend the rest of my life with her. But happen it did and I couldn't be happier.

I had actually decided about a month ago that I was finally going to ask Keely to marry me but I didn't know how I wanted to do it. All I knew was that it had to be special and after a lot of thinking and a bit of soul searching, I knew just what to do. I also knew I had to do this whole thing right so there were a few things I had to do before I ever got around to popping the question.

First, I had to find the perfect ring. Since I'm really bad at the whole jewelry thing, I enlisted the help of Keely's two best girlfriends, Tia and Via; and Pim. A good idea in theory, but never again will I ever take three women to a jewelry store. Even so, they all turned out to be a big help in helping me find a ring that would be both knock Keely off her feet and fit inside my budget.

My next stop was the Pickford Real Estate office to talk to Keely's mom. When I got there, her secretary let me and she looked up for her computer, surprised to see me.

"Hi there, Phil. What brings you by?"

"I actually wanted to talk to you about something."

"Sure, have a seat," she said, gesturing to a chair opposite her across her desk.

I sat down. "It's about Keely."

"I figured as much."

I took a deep breath. I don't think I'd ever been so nervous in my life. "I...I want to ask Keely to marry me."

A smile spread across her face. "I think that's a wonderful idea, Phil."

"You do?"

She nodded and said, "You know, Phil, ever since Keely was little I always dreaded the day when some strange man would show up and ask to marry my little girl. I was always a little scared because I always thought there wouldn't ever be anyone good enough for her. It's silly, I know, but you know what? You proved me wrong, Phil. You're not some strange man, you're her best friend and I don't think I could find anyone better for her if I tried. I know you Phil, and I know you'll take good care of Keely."

"Wow, that really means a lot to me Mrs. T."

"I mean every word of it, Phil. If there were ever two people who were meant to be together, its you and Keely. Oh, and no more of this "Mrs. T' business, from now on, you call me 'Mom.' We're going to be related soon enough, after all."

I smiled. "If she says yes, that is."

She waved an impatient hand at me. "Of course she'll say yes! You have nothing to worry about, Phil. In all honesty, I'm surprised it took you this long to get around to it."

I smiled then glanced at my watch. "Well, I'd better get going. I've got to be at work in half an hour."

I stood up and she came around her desk to give me a hug. "I am so happy for you and Keely, Phil."

The next night, I put the final part of my plan into action. I picked Keely up, took her out to dinner and, until I pulled into the H.G. Wells parking lot, she didn't suspect a thing.

"Phil, what are we doing here?" She asked, looking around.

"Just revisiting some old memories," I replied rather cryptically.

I took her hand and led her to the courtyard where a tree that still had _Keely & Phil Friends Forever_ carved in it stood.

Keely shook me a quizzical look but I just smiled. I took her hands in my and said, "I remember once, back when we were in high school, I stood right here and made a speech about how you were the most important, wonderful, special person I'd ever met and you know what? After all these years, it's still true. You are the most incredible person I've ever met and the single most important person in my life. I love you with all my heart, Keely, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you because I can't imagine ever being without you. So..." I got down on one knee and pulled the ring out of my pocket. "Keely Teslow, will you marry me?"

Her jaw dropped and in her state of shock she said, "Phil...I...I don't know what to say..."

I couldn't help but smile. "How about 'yes'?"

She returned the smile. "Yes, Phil. Of course I'll marry you!"

I slid the ring on her finger, stood up and pulled her into a long kiss. When we finally pulled apart, Keely looked into my eyes and whispered with a smile, "We're getting married." Then, a moment later, as if the whole thing had just sunk in, she said, in a completely different tone, "We're getting married! We've got so much to do! We've got to pick out colors, book a reception, find a church, make a guest list, buy shoes--"

I cut her off. "Whoa, Keely, relax! We've only been in engaged for two minutes. We have plenty of time to plan everything."

"Right. Sorry." She laughed. "I guess I just got carried away."

"That's alright." I ran my hand over the _Keely & Phil, Friends Forever _ on the tree. "Looks like we really are going to be together forever," I looked at her and she smiled, "and I couldn't be happier."

Sitting here now, I still can't believe it's true, but it is. I'm really going to spend the rest of my life with Keely. It's funny, looking back, I don't think when I first got stranded in this century that I could ever have imagined that I would wind meeting, falling for, and eventually marrying the most amazing girl ever. I guess fate works in strange ways sometimes.

Despite everything that's happened over the years, it looks like everything will work out just fine for this 22nd century man. I'm going to spend the rest of my life with the love of my life and, at the end of the day, that's all that really matters.

The End

A/n: I hope everyone enjoyed the final chapter of this story. Both this and "Teslow Diaries" have been so much fun to write, I'm glad everyone enjoyed them! I've gotten a lot of questions about the song titles I use as chapter titles in both stories so if you want a list of them with the artists, just send me a message and I'll be happy to give you the list for both stories. As for the future, I'm working on a story about Keely and her dad, which might actually be up by tomorrow if I finish editing. It's called "Long Lost Fathers and Other Strangers" so check it out. I'm also working on a Phil/Keely dating comedy thing that should be up soon. For now, leave me a review, as I live on them. Thanks to everyone who manage to stick it out with me!

Yours, appreciatively,

--Samantha J. Mulder


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